Transaction cards, such as credit and debit cards, have increasingly become a primary means for customers to complete financial transactions. Typically, transaction cards are formed out of a plastic material as a single piece. For example, a typical credit card may be manufactured out of plastic such as polycarbonate (PC) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) using an injection molding process. The plastic card may then be modified to add functional and/or visual features. For example, a magnetic strip or electronic device (e.g., a microchip) may be affixed to one side, the card may be stamped with the card number and customer name, and color or a design may be added for appearance.
Transaction cards having a one-piece construction may have several drawbacks that can lead to reduced performance and/or require the transaction card to be periodically replaced. For example, tensile and compressive forces generated when a conventional one-piece card is flexed can cause the magnetic strip (typically affixed to a rear surface by a laminate cover) and/or the microchip (typically affixed to a front surface by an adhesive) to separate from the card or become damaged. That is, when a conventional one-piece transaction card is flexed, the adhesive securing the microchip to the front surface of the card can fail, resulting in the ejection of the microchip from the card surface. Flexure of the card can also cause the laminate securing the magnetic strip to “bubble” or detach from the rear surface of the card. Minor flexures may in fact occur each time the card is placed into a wallet or payment card slot of a transaction machine (e.g., an ATM), all but ensuring that the card will eventually become unusable.
Conventional transaction cards may also suffer from additional drawbacks. For example, typical materials used to manufacture the cards (e.g., PC and PVC plastic) result in transaction cards that are not very not very strong and are prone to breaking or cracking. Limitations on card thickness, as well as cost considerations, prohibit the use of thicker transaction cards, thereby requiring manufacturers to pursue other ways of improving the structural integrity of transaction cards.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above and/or other problems associated with conventional transaction card constructions.